The Fourth Apprentice
by Of-Sprits-and-Nightmares
Summary: Just a backstory to one of my KH OC's, Sanura. Probably not gonna post more unless this somehow becomes super popular. No pairings.


It was pouring on the savanna's of an unknown world. The main inhabitants of this world were all curled up in their homes built in the boaba trees, save for a small figure shivering in a bush. A girl, only three years old, abandoned and left to die. She had messy brown hair, cat like tawny eyes, lion ears perched on the top of her head. From her elbows to her finger tips fur covered her skin, hiding her claws, while from her knees down the same thing. A lion's tail was wrapped around her as she tried to conserve any sort of body heat, despite being drenched.

She was scared, cold, hungry, and alone. Not the best combination, but none on this world cared for her. Her mother had died of sickness, and her father abandoned her, refused to care for her. She was too young to know how to hunt for herself, or even how to really find decent shelter. It was pretty much a death sentence for the young cub had a foreigner not been exploring the world.

Mickey Mouse, King of Disney Town, apprentice of Master Yen Sid. He was just out on this world because Yen Sid asked him to check things out. Naturally, they keyblade master agreed and here he was. The worlds were all at peace, so he was curious as to why he would be sent out on this errand. The mouse wasn't exactly happy that he walked in on the rainy season, but all complaints were lost when he sensed the presence of a child not far by.

Following his senses, he soon caught sight of the child shivering and trying to hide further into the bush away from him. What was this girl doing out here? She was just a toddler. Did she get lost, or did she not have parents? He smiled at the catlike girl and offered her his hand. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt ya. Let me help you find your family."

The girl watched him with wide eyes for several moments. He seemed friendly enough, but for the past several weeks, she had been pushed away from everyone she had once trusted. Her own father ran her off now that her mother was gone. Tears pricked at the girl's eyes as she slowly took hold of the mouse's gloved hand. She didn't know it, but this was her last chance at survival.

Mickey's smile grew when she took his hand and crawled out of the bush, but when he got a good look at her, his smile faltered a bit. Scratches and bruises littered her visible skin, while her fur and hair had dirt and probably blood matted in it. She looked like she hadn't eaten a decent meal in a while. That was on top of being drenched and probably sick as well. It was obvious that she had been alone for some time. Was she the reason Master Yen Sid asked him to come here..?

"I'm Mickey, what's your name?" He asked as he gave her his jacket. He was tempted to go to the village and ask around about her, but with how close to the village she was, plus the condition she was in, she probably didn't have anyone. Maybe it'd be best to take her back to Master Yen Sid, or even to Master Eraqus. True, he had just taken in a boy from Master Xehanort, but Terra and Aqua were old enough to help.

"...S~Sanura..." She quietly answered through her chattering teeth. The jacket was nice, even though she was already soaked to the bone, but it gave her some proof that this stranger was kind. Actually, the girl noticed that his ears were the only reason he was taller than her. Strange thought, but she wasn't really thinking clearly.

King Mickey smiled and lead the girl back the way he came, towards a strange blue doorway. The girl would cough or sneeze from time to time, proving that she was getting sick, and that just urged him to move her along faster. It was difficult, seeing as she was on wobbly legs. Probably due to her lack of energy. She hesitated when she saw the doorway, and it took lots of convincing to get her to follow him. True, the mouse probably could have just picked her up, but he wanted her to know that she could trust him.

When they walked through the portal, they ended up in the Mysterious Tower, just outside Master Yen Sid's door. It seemed though that he was prepared for not just Mickey, but the girl as well. All three of the good fairies had been called, and were cooing over the child. That simply terrified the girl, however, and she hid behind Mickey, tears welling up in her big brown eyes once more. The one that scared her the most was Master Yen Sid. The old man had one of those stares that could probably scare an adult.

If Mickey thought it took lots of effort to get her through the portal, it seemed to take twice that to get her taken care of. The fairies insisted that Mickey help with this, as she seemed to really only trust him. It didn't stop him from receiving a good number of scratches himself from the frightened girl when they tried to clean her up. It got to the point that he had to cast a sleep spell on the girl to get her bandaged and such.

"So much for getting some food into her tonight.." Mickey commented as he tucked the girl into the bed of the spare room. Looking at her now, she seemed so tiny and fragile, a complete 180 from just a few minutes earlier, kicking and scratching to get away from the water. The fairies promised to watch over her while she slept so that he could go talk to Master Yen Sid.

The King nodded and left to go back to his old master, who seemed to be busy. Master Eraqus was there and already talking with Master Yen Sid about the girl. She hadn't shown any signs of being able to use a keyblade, but then again, she was just a toddler. Terra and Aqua never showed any signs until they were nine and ten.

"She is ill, injured, terrified of almost everything... I know I had asked for you to take her tonight, but I fear it would be a burden for you, as you are working with Young Ventus. It may be wiser for her to recover before you take her into your care.." Master Yen Sid said as he sat down in his chair. It seemed that Yen Sid knew about this girl for some time, but why wait until now to get her?

Eraqus agreed, and simply requested that he be informed on her condition. When he left, Mickey walked in. "May I ask how long you've known about Sanura?" He asked, curious, yet slightly frustrated. They should have taken her in weeks ago. Why did they just let this little girl suffer like that?

"I have known about her since her birth... She... Is a special child..." Yen Sid stated after a few moments of hesitation. He understood Mickey's concern. He honestly hadn't known her condition until a few days ago. "She has a balance that has not been seen since the Great Keyblade War..."

Mickey nodded, now confused more than anything. Master Yen Sid had been watching this girl since she had been born? Did she have to deal with Kingdom Hearts somehow? It didn't make sense yet. Maybe it would just take time. "So.. How long is she going to stay here? She is just a little one after all.."

Yen Sid understood that his apprentice was worried. He was too. He felt that he should have kept a better eye on her. "She will stay as long as is needed... She will be safer with Master Eraqus, and will have the opportunity to learn from him and his other apprentices."

That was enough to pacify the mouse. He nodded and returned to the young girl's room and sighed. He and Minnie never had kids, but he had to admit that he always did like kids. He hoped that she would be able to get along with Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. She was so scared of everyone. Even him, still. Sitting down in a chair, he took over watch and let the fairies go and talk to Yen Sid. It wasn't long before he fell asleep himself.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

It took almost a week for Sanura to relax around Mickey. She was still skittish around Master Yen Sid, and the fairies left after she had healed up a bit. She learned from Mickey that she would be going to live on another world, one with kids similar to herself. They were older, but they were going to be her family.

The girl didn't want to go. Sure the old guy was scary, but she didn't want to leave Mickey. He was nice, and patient, and though there were moments when he would get her wet and such, she felt like he actually cared for her. Over the week there had been a number of times where she had fallen asleep curled up next to him. True, she still wasn't comfortable enough to play, like a normal toddler of her age, but she was recovering.

She was starting to regain weight that she had lost in her weeks of eating scraps, and all her scratches had healed up nicely. Now her pale markings were visible on her slightly tanned skin. She was also starting to show signs of a natural curiosity. She would be caught looking into some of Master Yen Sid's books and pots. One day, just after the fairies had left, she found a potion that had turned her fur bright pink. It was obvious at that point that the Mysterious Tower was no place to raise a child.

When Master Eraqus came to get her, she understood what was going on, and attempted to hide. But the little one didn't realize that hiding under her bed with her tail poking out wasn't a good way to do so. Mickey had been the one to coax her out, promising to visit and to play with her. He wasn't able to console her fears about being abandoned though. She felt like what had happened just over a month ago was happening again, and that caused the young one to start crying again as she held onto the mouse.

What Sanura didn't expect was for someone to pick her up and hold her close. Master Eraqus, the one that picked her up, was surprisingly gentle, despite how scary he looked. He slowly rocked her, comforting her and rather easily earned the toddler's trust. She held on to his robe and rested her head against his shoulder as her crying slowly came to a stop, only shaking slightly as hiccups replaced them.

Mickey watched with a tender smile as the Keyblade Master comforted the child with such ease. There was a reason that Master Yen Sid thought that she would be best with him, even at such a young age. He had raised Terra since age five, and Aqua since she was eight. It was no wonder that he did so well with little three year old Sanura.

The older Master bid Eraqus good luck as he carried the young cub from the Mysterious Tower and through a portal to the Land of Departure. It was evening there, and his three other apprentices should have been finishing chores. Instead they were all eagerly waiting for the new arrival. They hadn't been expecting a baby. Or a nonhuman one for that matter.

"...What is it?" Ven asked, only to get a light smack on the back of the head from Terra.

Eraqus shook his head as the boys began to quietly bicker. Terra was the oldest at seventeen, while Aqua was sixteen, and Ventus at only twelve. "This is Sanura.. She is one of the Xīnzàng.. A feline race that were once rumored to be guardians of the Light and Dark realms.." He simply explained as he carried the child into the castle. She was again tense and squirming slightly as she watched his three apprentices with wide eyes. So much for getting her to calm down properly.

He took her into the kitchen and slowly sat her down at the table. He was well aware that the girl needed to eat, but he didn't want to over feed her or accidentally make her sick. He pulled out some fruit and offered her them, ignoring the looks his apprentices gave him. Aqua seemed to be eager to join them, but at the same time, she was afraid to scare the cub.

Sanura, though watching the three cautiously, picked up an orange. Eraqus watched as she tried to peal it herself, but even with her claws, she couldn't quite grasp the concept. Instead, he slowly took the orange and quickly pealed it for her, handing her a slice at a time, allowing her to eat her fill. She was an interesting child, skittish, but curious. She really did act like a kitten or a cub.

After she finished, he carefully cleaned her up, avoiding her claws as she began to throw a bit of a fit. It was Aqua's turn to surprise him when she came up and slowly managed to calm the child down. In a similar fashion that her Master had done earlier, she gently picked up the toddler and rocked her back and forth, humming a soft lullaby.

Smiling at the young woman, he allowed her to take over and get the young one ready for bed. He then took the sleepy child back into his arms and took her to where her room would be. It was right next to his, across the hall from Aqua's and Terra and Ventus had their rooms just down the hall. If anything woke the toddler up in the middle of the night, someone would be in there to calm her.

In the room, it was fairly sparse. A crib, a dresser, a nightlight, and a rocking chair. Toys could come later as they would figure out what she liked. For now, only the basics were in there. Gently, he set Sanura down in the crib and carefully tucked her in, as to not frighten her, and to allow her to get some much needed rest. "Good night, Child... And welcome to your new home..."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

A few years passed, and Sanura was easily a part of the family. Yes, Terra, Aqua, and Ven were much older than the now six year old child, but they made time to play with her and keep her company. Terra was the protective one, not letting her try things that could result in her getting hurt, but he was also in a way her teddy bear. He never had problems with letting her cuddle after a nightmare or anything of the such.

Aqua was a big sister that also doubled as a mother some times. She knew exactly how to help the girl and was often the one keeping her out of trouble. Not the easiest task in the world. Every week the cub had some new cut or bruise from something she did.

Ventus was her Venny, as she called him. He was her brother, her best friend, and her partner in crime. They were always getting into mischief and playing pranks together. He was also the one that would sneak her sweets from time to time. Often times, the two of them could be caught plotting something, but they were the ones that worked together the best. They always helped finish each other's chores, no matter what it was so that they could go and play some game or another.

Master Eraqus, though she called him as such, was her father. He was kind, but stern, and always there to pick her up when she fell. She never felt like she didn't belong, even if she was of a different species. It was all because of her family. No one could ever find her complaining about them. Maybe it was because she still remembered being abandoned by her first family, or that she was just a very selfless child, but she was genuinely grateful. Genuinely happy. At least until Xehanort showed up.

It was just for Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery, she and Ven were allowed to watch, but things went wrong when balls of darkness suddenly formed. The cub could sense that they came from Xehanort, but it didn't make sense. Why would he try anything with darkness? She had no keyblade to defend herself against the orbs, and as such Terra was right there in front of her to protect her.

She hated being helpless at a time like this, but soon everything was safe again. Her tawny eyes fixed on the bald man, and he seemed to be smirking right at her. Her fur stood on end, and she wanted to shout that it had been him that sabotaged the Mark of Mastery, but she had no proof. Instead, she stuck close to Terra, even after Eraqus said that he failed.

Out on the steps, Terra was brooding, and Sanura was curled up next to him. She wanted to find a way to comfort her big brother, but couldn't do anything other than just be there. She was almost asleep when Xehanort began talking to Terra. She pretended to be asleep, and some of the things Xehanort said... It frightened her.

Then Terra left. She wanted to join him, but he said no. She would be a burden. The words stung, but even Aqua agreed. That hurt even more. At least they told the same thing to Ventus. He didn't like it any more than she did, and he took her along with him. They had several fun adventures, meeting Cinderella, Snow White, Queen Minnie, Lea, Isa, but when they caught up to Terra and Aqua again, in Radiant Garden, and the fight with the unversed, she was thinking that maybe everyone could go home. That hope was shattered when Terra and Aqua began fighting again. When they both took off, she couldn't help it. She cried. She felt like she was being abandoned again...

Ventus did his best to cheer her up, and they continued their adventures. Then they met Vanitas... And returned to Master Eraqus... He.. He said that Ventus needed to be gone... And Ven was agreeing... She didn't understand that... Terra stepped in, as always, but he forced Ventus back into the Way between Worlds. She was hiding behind one of the statues and watched the fight, though she later wished she hadn't. She... She saw Terra... Her big brother... Someone she loved... Not only fight against her father figure, but... But kill him... She didn't know how to react until Xehanort showed his face again.

With tears streaking down her face she stepped between Terra and Xehanort, her ears flattened and tail lashing back and forth as a low growl escaped her, showing just how angry she was. She yelled at him to stay away from her brother, threatening him. It was enough to get Terra to pull himself back together to take Sanura from there, away from Xehanort's poisonous presence.

Terra had no idea where would be safe for Sanura with all the unversed around, and so he kept her close. And then they made their way to the Keyblade Graveyard. He ordered her to stay in a cave until he, Aqua, or Ven came for her. At first she listened, as tornados and unversed covered the area, but soon sounds of fighting were heard. Unable to just sit there, she raced out and made her way towards the sounds. When she got there, it was chaos. Ventus and Terra were trying to face Xehanort, Aqua and King Mickey were facing Vanitas... Nothing was looking good.

She raced towards her brothers, feeling that they needed more help, and quickly climbed the cliff wall, using her claws to her advantage. She made it up just in time to see Xehanort attempt some sort of attack on Ven while Terra was down. It enraged her even more. Rushing forward, the child didn't think, she just acted. It looked like she was going to claw Xehanort, but a black and white keyblade that looked like the black and white wayfinder that Aqua had made her, formed in her hands. She hit the dark man's weapon hand, forcing him to drop his keyblade.

Ventus was about to yell at Sanura to get out of there, but Xehanort moved faster. His keyblade reappeared in his hand and he slashed out at the unprepared girl, hitting her across her torso before knocking Ventus off the plateau and down towards Vanitas. He didn't want to kill the girl, just incapacitate her while he set these plans into motion. The girl would be useful later.

Sanura's cry of pain brought Terra back to reality as he watched the cub fall to the ground near him. He forced himself up and quickly placed himself between his sister and his enemy. "Stay away from her.." He growled as he held Earthshaker tight. He hadn't expected Xehanort to chuckle at that.

"You think of yourself as a wall, able to protect your friends. After today, nothing will be able to stop me from obtaining Kingdom Hearts.. You won't be able to protect her.." He paused, looking at the girl behind Terra that was struggling to remain conscious. "She will be mine, just as the you are."

Sanura watched with a slowly dimming vision as Terra leapt forward to attack the old man. "...T~Terra..." She whimpered softly as she tried to warn her brother. Tried to get him to flee. She never saw the out come of the battle, however, as her world faded to black.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

When the cub woke up, she was in a familiar place, but she couldn't quite pin why. Not until she heard King Mickey and Master Yen Sid's voice along with Aqua's. Whimpering, she forced herself up and made her way towards the voices. She noticed that she was covered in bandages, but she refused to stop. She caught sight of everyone... Well... Almost everyone. She couldn't see or sense Terra, and Ventus was sound asleep, from the looks of it.

Aqua turned when she noticed Yen Sid staring at the doorway. There was a frightened looking Sanura, standing when she shouldn't have. "Sanura.. What are you doing up..?" Aqua chided as she left Ven's side to carefully pick up the girl. "You need your rest..."

"P~put me down..!" She protested, trying to squirm, but her side hurt so much. She again tried to get up as Aqua placed her in the bed, but Aqua easily prevented that.

"Get some rest... I've got to take Ventus somewhere safe, so that he can sleep... And then I need to find Terra... I can't do this if I have to worry about you and King Mickey... Can you look after the King for me..?" She asked, smiling slightly. It was the only way she would get Sanura to stay. She had to feel like she was doing something helpful. Slowly the girl nodded. "Good... I'll be back with both of your brothers before you know it... Promise..." She whispered as she leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead.

As Aqua did so, though, she silently cast a sleep spell on the child, causing her tawny eyes to slowly flutter closed. That was the last Sanura saw of any of her siblings. All she knew was that Xehanort had Terra somewhere, Ven was somewhere sleeping, and Aqua was out there looking for them. She would spend the next fifteen years searching for her family, hoping that one day she could be happy again.


End file.
